Sector activity — 12 August 2026
Health care showed the broadest participation. Ten US equity sectors, measured on how many companies took part rather than how many dollars moved — so one large company cannot stand in for a sector.
| Sector | State | Participation | 5-session | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care | Accumulating | 26% | +2.8% | 2 of the last 5 sessions closed up on heavier volume, with 26% of companies trading above their normal level. |
| Communication | Accumulating | 23% | +0.5% | 1 of the last 5 sessions closed up on heavier volume, with 23% of companies trading above their normal level. |
| Materials | Quiet | 29% | +6.9% | 29% of companies traded above their normal level. Nothing unusual. |
| Technology | Quiet | 22% | +3.7% | 22% of companies traded above their normal level. Nothing unusual. |
| Consumer | Quiet | 19% | -0.6% | 19% of companies traded above their normal level. Nothing unusual. |
| Industrials | Quiet | 17% | +1.2% | 17% of companies traded above their normal level. Nothing unusual. |
| Utilities | Quiet | 13% | +1.4% | 13% of companies traded above their normal level. Nothing unusual. |
| Energy | Quiet | 11% | +7.7% | 11% of companies traded above their normal level. Nothing unusual. |
| Finance | Quiet | 10% | -0.3% | 10% of companies traded above their normal level. Nothing unusual. |
| Real estate | Distributing | 15% | -2.2% | Volume leaned to falling sessions over the last five days — 0.74× as many dollars traded on down days as up days. |
Participation is the share of a sector's companies trading above 1.5× their own normal volume. The 5-session figure is an equal-weight average return, so every company counts once regardless of size.
How to read this
| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Accumulating | Volume leaned to rising sessions, participation was broad and not falling, and no single company dominated the increase. |
| Single-name event | One company accounted for a large share of the day's volume increase at a climax level. The sector total moved; the sector did not. |
| Distributing | More dollars traded on falling sessions than rising ones. |
| Quiet | Nothing above the thresholds. Most sectors, most days. |
This describes what happened, not what happens next. These states are a record of participation and volume direction on one trading day. They are not forecasts, not recommendations, and not financial advice. See the method for how the measurement works and what it cannot do.
Scan a sector yourself
This page shows where money moved. Stock Sentinel's Market Scan shows what people were saying — which companies in a sector are getting unusual social attention, and how much evidence sits behind each reading.